1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to a transportable container of flowable bulk goods and more particularly a method of filling and forming a transportable container of flowable bulk goods.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical containers utilized for transport of bulk goods are inefficient, do not have a very large volume, and often require a large amount of manual labor to be used in filling and handling of the container. Also these containers are typically stacked on top of each other during handling and transport, because the containers are not stabilized, this results in damage to the material. It is known in the art of stretch wrapping to stack loads onto a pallet and then shrink wrap the load placed upon the pallet to secure it.
An example of one such system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,594,970 to Hyne et al. The Hyne patent discloses a method and apparatus for wrapping an outer wrap around a stack of products on a bottom support. The system uses a guide which acts as a barrier between the stack of product and the outer wrap. To begin the bottom support is placed at a location adjacent the guide and layers of product are added to the pallet to form the stack. As the layers of products are added to the pallet, the pallet begins to move downwardly from the guide to allow for the outer wrap to be applied to the product to secure and stabilize it. The outer wrap is applied to the guide prior to being received by the layers of products so that the layers of products are not crushed or displaced by the outer wrap.
Another example of one such system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,476 to Fulton Jr. The Fulton patent discloses a system for applying an outer wrap to unstable stacks of product on a pallet. The system includes a confinement container having a bottom support or pallet placed on a lift. Layers of unstable product are placed on the pallet to form a stack within the confinement container. A top cap is placed on the top of the unstable layers and the outer wrap is initially applied around the top cap and the upper edge of the confinement container. The lift moves the pallet of unstable products upward and the outer wrap slides off the edge of the confinement container to contact the layers of product for stabilizing the stacks of product.